At long last, ’tis Election Day/Week You have probably heard by now that some Washington state races might be close, so close it could be days before we know some winners in some contests. But you can track your own ballot and make sure your vote got where it was going — and was counted.

Hustling student votes. From Brian M. Rosenthal: Gubernatorial candidates Jay Inslee and Rob McKenna, both University of Washington graduates, each spent part of their last full day of campaigning at their alma mater. And, as the scheduling gods would have it, their events took place at roughly the same time, mere yards apart. Inslee arrived first for a rally outside the HUB student union building at 11 a.m., where he spoke briefly, answered questions from reporters and shook hands with students. McKenna’s campaign, which had scheduled an 11:30 a.m. event at the same spot, decided to move inside the building at the last minute. There, McKenna did the same routine. The two did not cross paths or even lay eyes on each other, despite their proximity.

After his event outside the HUB, Inslee went to a rally with pro-gay marriage supporters in Red Square before heading north for sign-waving in Marysville. McKenna, on the other hand, went to frat row to speak to fraternity brothers before heading south to talk to students at the UW’s Tacoma campus. Chances are it’s the closest the candidates will be in a while. Tuesday evening, Inslee is planning to watch election returns at The Westin in Seattle, while McKenna will be at The Hyatt in Bellevue.

Ballot collection by political parties, also from Brian M. Rosenthal. State Sen. Ed Murray, D-Seattle, said Monday he plans to introduce legislation to prohibit political party staffers from collecting ballots from voters. The Democrats have been trying to make hay out of the fact that Republicans are doing just that, even though Dems have had similar efforts in the past. Murray, chair of the Ways and Means Committee and a likely bet for majority leader if the Democrats maintain control of the state Senate, said the practice “threatens to undermine public confidence in the integrity of our election process.”

Vote by affidavit: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is trying to be accommodating about the storm voting situation. He has told voters to vote where they can by affidavit.

What is the Obama campaign really trying to say? President Obama’s campaign held a conference call Monday and urged supporters not to over-react to early exit polls. What does he know that we don’t? Perhaps he wants Westerners to keep voting, no matter what.

All about “The Boss:” Politico has a great piece about New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. His new BFF Barack Obama helped him meet fellow New Jerseyan Bruce Springsteen and Christie, well, swooned.

Pot vote: While waiting for votes to be tallied, some astute election observers will be watching certain counties for high turnout — and I mean that two ways. Keep your eye on Jefferson and San Juan counties for, shall we say, vigorous turnout, possibly, just possibly, inspired by Initiative 502, the pot legalization, regulation and taxation measure.

About this blog

Politics Northwest is the go-to blog for politics in our region. The blog explores national, state and local political news and issues. Reporters from Washington, D.C., to Seattle City Hall to the state capital in Olympia contribute. Editors are Richard Wagoner and Beth Kaiman.